Who ... Us?

Georgiy Mamedov, Russia's ambassador to Canada speaks at a press conference in Ottawa. (Chris Mikula/Ottawa Citizen)

"The only question in my mind: Will it help with calming down and stabilizing Ukraine? Or will it (encourage) radicals who would like nothing better than to prolong and intensify a confrontation with Russia?"
"So I feel quite confident that we will come to a compromise [since the heavy reliance on Russian energy exports should prevent Europe ... from] shooting themselves in the leg."
"[Russian officials whom Canada has sanctioned] won't die from grief because they won't get visas to the United States or Canada."
Russian Ambassador to Canada Georgiy Mamedov

And needless to say, the sanctions "will, of course, be reciprocated. Some people won't receive visas to Russia". There's our tit for your tat. So as far as Mr. Mamedov is concerned, Prime Minister Stephen Harper can hie himself, with the Ambassador's blessing, to his Kyiv meeting. On the theory that the calm demeanor of Mr. Harper might help in defusing the hysteria prevailing in Kyiv with Russia's annexation of Crimea.

The 'radicals' of whom Ambassador Mamedov speaks, eager 'to prolong and intensify a confrontation with Russia', are of course the very people who represent the aggressors in this confrontation, for having forced innocent Russian troops into Crimea to begin with, in a placatory effort to instil calm and resistance to the 'fascists' in Kyiv. Alas, the kindliness of the invasion did not succeed and other, more stern measures had to be called upon.

And so, Mr. Mamedov voiced his opinion hoping the Prime Minister's visit would "help to find a solution around Ukraine", and "wipe out" Mr. Harper's unfortunate comments comparing Russia and Nazi Germany. "That's my hope. But what will happen? I don't know." Good diplomat that he is, he gives short shrift to threats Russia is in any danger of economic and political isolation should it not reverse course.

Russia, he stated with the conviction due his office, is too vast, too important to be struck from the international roster as a rogue state. (Of course, this is also the Russian diplomat who scoffed incredulously when he was confronted with the charge in the media that Russia was on the cusp of military action in Crimea.) A conviction not quite shared by Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird, who had his own impressions to impart to the media.

"We've been promised tolerance in Crimea by its occupying power but have instead seen the wounds of torture on the body of an innocent, murdered Crimean Tatar. This is entirely unacceptable and we condemn it in the strongest of terms. We won't hesitate to expand that (travel bans and economic sanctions) list if and when we think it's appropriate."

"I don't think anything is severe enough when a ruler in the Kremlin tries to redraw the borders of Europe in the post-Cold War era."